Can packing machine



Feb. 1, 1944. R. 0'. GRUWELL, JR 2,340,744

0A}: PACKING MACHINE v Filed April 26, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Feb. 1,1944. R. o. GRUWELL, JR 2,340,744

' CAN PACKING MACHINE Filed April 26, 1940 4 Sheets-Shee t 2 3nventor;

P055197 0. Gaza mm N Q 1 Gttomeg.

( JAN PACKING MACHINE v 4 Shets-Shet 4 Filed April 26, 1940 (Ittorneg.

.horizontal cross braces Patented Feb. 1, 1944 f UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE i I v i r 2,340,744 r 1 CANVPACKING MACHINE Robert 0. Gruwell, Jr., Los Angelcs, Calif.; 1 Application April 26, 1940, Serial No 331,801

(or. 226- 101) e l I '10 Claims.

1 This invention relates to canning machinery and articularly pertains to a can packing ma chine.

In the packing of various food products, particularly fish, such as tuna, the packing operation is relatively expensive as compared with the packing of other fish. For example, in packing salmon, the fish is chopped transversely into pieces which are placed in the can and cooked. In the packing of tuna, thetuna is thoroughly cooked before it is packed in the can, after which it is broken into pieces, laid on trays and is placed in the can by a careful operation of hand packing. It is the principal object of .the present invention to provide means whereby the fish, such as tuna, after having been cooked may be easily placed in condition for packing by .a rapid operation requiring the services of a relatively few packers, after which the tuna may be delivere'd'automatically to can feeding machinery where it will be mechanically fed into the cans without other packing operation.

The present invention contemplates the provision of a collapsible traveling carrier into which fish may beplaced for packing purposes and after which the fish will be mechanically compacted and delivered to can feeding means, where it will be deposited in the cans of the can 'feeding means in a positive and final packing operation, after which it is only necessary to add oil and salt as the packed cans ar delivered to the double seaming machine.

The invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a view in plan with parts broken away showing the packing section of the present invention and the discharge structure.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view in side elevation showing the packing structure, the can filling structure and the cutting knife.

Fig. 3 is a view in transverse section through the packing conveyor and kindred parts as seen on the line 3-3 of Fig.4.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged view in section and elevation showing the final stage of the packing conveyor and the can feed mechanism as seen on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a view in transverse section through the conveyor as seen on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, l indicates the sub-frame of the machine with which the present invention is concerned. This structure includes suitable supporting legs- H, an upper table structure l2 and a set of suitable l3. Mounted at opposite Y ends of the table structure are shafts l4 and I5.

These shafts are parallel to each other and are disposed in spaced relation to each other in the same horizontal plane. Mounted upon the shaft I4 is a sprocket l6 and mounted upon the shaft IYis a sprocket l1.. Ledaround the sprockets i6 and I1 is a sprocketchain IS. The sprocket chain I8 ,is fitted with links I9 and blocks 20.

.The blocks receive transversely disposedsaddle structures 2| which'include an arcuatesaddle block 22. The saddle blocks 22 carry pivot pins 23. These pins provide a-pivotal mounting for arcuate packing jaws 2,4 and 25, one set of which is carried by each of the-blocks 20 of the chain.

The widthof the jaws represents the depth of a can to be packed, as will be hereinafter ex- -plained, and the circumference defined bythe pair of arcuate jaws 24 when in their closed position substantially represents the diameter of the inside ;of;the can tobe packed. pIt is also to be understood that thespacing of the'links of the chain and the blocks is such as to insure that when all of the arcuate-gripping members are assembled uponthe chain and are in linear alignment on the upper straight run of the chain that they will be relatively close together and will provide a slitting space 26 between them for apurpose to "be hereinafter described.- .It will also be seen that when" the packing jaws. are I mounted upon the blocks 20 they will be able to swing oppositely and laterally of the plane of travel. These jaws are swung outwardly totheir extreme spread positionattheforward end of the table and are swung together progressively toward the discharge end of, the table. This tends to form a trough extending-longitudinally of the tableand into which pieces of fish or in some instances where-fish are of the proper size the entire fishmay'be laid. This action is producedbytrack-cams-Z'I and 21'. One of each is disposed along each sideof the path of travel of the chain and theyareengaged by camrollers 28 on-arms 29 of jaws 24. The track cams 21 are parallel, as shown in Fig. 1, and when engaged' by the rollers act to open the arcuate jaws '24. The track cams 21' areengaged by the rollers and act to'swing the arcuate jaws 24 together gradually as the fish is packed between the jaws preparatory to other operations. As seenin'Fig. 1; the freeends of these" jaws will hev spaced apart as iridicatedat 30 and'a V-shaped opening 3! will be definedras the rollers 28 engage the spreading portions o'fcams 21', after which they will substantially abut as indicatedat 32'.

; It has been found in practice that the mechanical action to close the jaws with relation to each other by the cams and rollers is not entirely positive, and that it is desirable to provide meansthe tuna has been picked up in small pieces by f hand and carefully placed in the cans thatin the present instance long unbroken pieces of tuna, or other fish, may be laid lengthwise in the trough formed by the upper run of packing jaws 24. It is necessary, therefore, to provide meansfor cut ting the fish held by the jaws in lengths which will fit into the cans provided for-them. This I length is substantially that'of the width of the gripping jaws and the slits or spaces 26 between the jaws are providedfor the purpose of allowing a cutting knife to move in an automatic operationdown throughthe slits 26 and between the gripping jaws so that the mass of tuna embraced by the jaws will be severed into lengths which will then fit into the cans. The severing means is shown particularly in Fig. 3 of the drawings, where it will be seen that brackets 31 are rigidly secured upon the table portion [2 of the machine and support a shaft 38. This shaft 38 can rotate in the brackets-and swing a knife 39 in a path transverselyof the upper run of the chain carrying the conveyor jaws and downwardly through slit 26. This knife 39 is fixed upon the shaft 38 and has a curved cutting edge 40 which insures that as the knife is drawn downwardly into therneat of the fish held between the packing ,v jaws and is drawn through the slit 26 between pairs of packing jaws 24 the knife will have a slicing action and move to freely out. The swinging movement :of the knife is effected by a lever 4| secured to the shaft 38 and pivoted to a shackle link 42 by pin 43; The movement of the link is effected by a pitman rod 44 pivotally connected to the link 42 at 45. This rodis held in its lowermost position by spring 46 and is elevated by a cam 4'l carried upon a shaft 48 supported upon the transverseframe member I3, and driven in a manner to be hereinafter described.

The shaft I 5 upon which the sprocket-l6 is mounted is designed to be intermittently moved a predetermined degree at each actuation, here shown as a quarter of a turn. This intermittent movement represents the movement of a pair of packing jaws and thechain from one space to another so that at each actuation of the sprocket IS the chain will advance toalign a slit 26 with the slicing knife'45. Furthermore, the intermittent operation acts to swing a pair of gripping jawsand the material held in packed condition therein-so that a pair of gripping jaws will be disposed substantially in horizontal alignment as they pass around the sprocket l6 and are in a plane with the axis thereof. In swinging to this postion the central axis of the jaws will be disposed vertically and will be in alignment with a packing element 49. This element is mounted on a swinging arm 5|] which is pivotally mounted at 5| on a bracket 52. The arm 50 carries a knockout rod 53. Thisknockout. rod 53 carries a disc 54' at its lower end which will pass into the space between a pair of gripping jaws 24 then holding a desired quantity of material, and will act to force this material from the position between the gripping jaws and into a can 55. A lever 56 is secured to shaft 5| and is pivoted upon pin 51 to rod 58. The rod 58 is secured by a pivot pin 59 to a rocker arm 69. The rocker arm 60 is mounted upon a bracket 6| by a fulcrum pin 62. The arm 6| is a simple lever at the opposite end of which a link 63 of cutter pitman rod 44 is attached-by pin 64. The opposite end of the link is secured to rod 44 by a pin 65 carried on the rocker arm 60. At a point between the fulcrum pin 62 and pin 64 is a cam roller 66 which rides upon the periphery of cam 41. The roller c0- operates with the cam 41 to oscillate the same.

Disposed adjacent to the knockout device is a rotary feeder 61 mounted on a horizontal shaft 68. V The horizontal shaft is driven in a manner to be hereinafter described and operates intermittently and in synchronism with the movement of the conveyor chain f8. The rotary feeder 61 includes a hub member 69 formed with blocks 16 similar tothe blocks 22 mounted upon the links of thefchain. Can receiving unts H are disposed around the hub 69 and mounted upon the block 1!); These units comprise a pair of the gripping jaws 24' similar to the jaws 24 previously described but in this particular instance made to receive cans 55. The gripping jaws 24' are in this instance fitted with the cam rollers 28 carried by arms 28'. The cam rollers 23 engage arcuatecams 12, one disposed at each end of the hub structure 69 and along the path of travel of the rollers 28.' These cams cooperate with the rollers to swing the jaws 24 oppositely and open them so that cansrnay be disposed between their op ned free ends and thereafter gripped. The j aws 24on the feed device 61 as well as on the feed chain I8 are held normally in their closed position by springs 13 associated with the pivot pins 23. Disposed at an inclination to the horizontal and in proper alignment with the rotary feeder 6.1 is a can, runway 14 by which cans are fedidownwardly to be engaged by'the carrier. A timing star wheel 15 is disposed at a point along therunway and feeds the cans consecutively to the-feeder 6'1. The timing star wheel is mount- ,ediipon a shaft 16 which carries a gear 11. This gear is in mesh with a complementary gear 18 mounted upon a shaft 19. A sprocket wheel is secured on the shaft 19 and is engaged by a chain 8|. This is led around a sprocket wheel 82-on the shaft 68 of the carrier so that the sprocket wheel and carrier will be driven in synchronism. The shaft 68 of the carrier is fitted with a gear 83. This is in mesh with a gear easecured to the shaft l4 carrying the sprocket I! of the conveyor chain I 8. The shaft I4 is fitted with a ratchet wheel 85 which is secured thereto. Mounted upon the shaft l4 and free to oscillate thereon isa pawl arm 86 carrying a spring pressed pawl 81 which will ride over the teeth of the. ratchet wheel so that when the arm is pulled downwardly the shaft l4 will be rotated. As here shown the amount of rotation is one-quarter of a complete revolution of the shaft. Secured to the free end of the pawl arm 86 is a pitman rod 81. This rod is pivoted to the arm at;88. The opposite end of the rod is pivoted at 89 to a crank arm 96. The crank arm 96 is secured to a main drive shaft 48 upon which the cam 41 is also fastened. A pulley 92 is secured. to the main drive shaft and is driven by a 'the drawings.

belt 93 leading to some desired prime mover not shown in the drawings.

Disposed beneath the rotary feeder 61 and on the discharge side thereof is a can runway 94 which leads downwardly to a conveyor belt 95 onto which the cans 55 may be deposited and carried away from the machine to a suitable double seaming machine.

In operation of the present invention the cans 55 are delivered along the runway 14 to the can feeding device. These cans are usually sanitary cans which have a bottom cap double seamed onto them and a curled flange around the open mouth of the opposite end of the can to receive a closing cap which is likewise double seamed into posiiton. The seam of the bottom is indicated at 95. The flange of the mouth is indicated at 91'. By reference to Fig. 4 of the drawings it will be seen that the cans are placed on the runway with their bottoms uppermost while sliding on the mouth flange 91. The cans are thus moved down the runway and their forward feed is controlled by the timing star wheel E5. The entire machine is driven from a source of power not shown in the drawings which acts to rotate the shaft 48. The shaft rotates in the direction of the arrow a as indicated in Fig. 2 of the drawings. As it rotates it will cause reciprocation of the pitman rod 81. This reciprocation is brought about by the crank arm 90 which rotates with the shaft 48. The rod 8'! oscillates the pawl arm 86 and rotates the shaft [4 and the gear 84 in the direction of the arrow b as shown in Fig. 2 of This causes gear 83 to rotate in the direction of the arrow 0. As the shaft it rotates the upper run of the conveyor chain l8 will move in the direction of the arrow d, and as the chaintravels the sets of gripping jaws 24 will swing upwardly and around the axis of the shaft l5 and around the sprocket l6. They will then assume parallel positions along the upper run of chain, as shown in Figs 2 and 4 of the drawings. In the initial portion of their horizontal travel along the upper run of the chain the free edges of the gripping jaws 24 will be swung apart to form the opening 30 between them. It will be evident that this length of the upper run of the chain will be sufficient so that one or more persons may stand at the side of the machine and place the fish, or other material to be packed, between the jaws and through the opening 30. During this time the rollers 28 will be in engagement with the track cams 21. This will cause the gripping jaws 24 to be spread apart and held apart as the jaws travel. When the rollers 28 have moved to the end of the track cams 21 they will move into engagement with the outer faces of the track cams 21 and will tend to swing toward their closed positions. This swinging motion will be initially induced by the springs l3. However, the quantity of material being packed may obstruct the closing movement of the jaws 24 so that positive closing action is necessary, and this is produced by the inclined shape of the track cams 21 which will tend to wedge between the rollersand force them outwardly, while positively swinging the gripping jaws together to compress the material being packed therebetween. When a set of jaws reaches the transverse plane of the shafts 36 the teeth 34 of star wheels 35 will travel in the direction of the arrows e, as shown in Fig. l, and will engage the lugs 33 on the arms to force the arms positively together, in which positions they are held in further travel along the straight parallel portions of the track cams 21'. At the end of the horizontal path of travel of the sets of gripping jaws along the upper run of the chain the rollers 28 pass out of engagement with the track cams 2'! and into engagement with arcuate outer track segments 98. The terminating ends of these segments are offset inwardly as indicated at 99 so that when a set of gripping jaws is in substantially the position indicated at X in Fig. 4 of the drawings a slight spreading action will be given the gripping jaws to loosen the material packed therebetween.

At a point in the upper horizontal run of the chain the sets of gripping jaws will move to place the space 26 in alignment with thecutting blade 39. As the shaft t8 rotates the cam 41 will move in the direction of the arrow a in Fig. 2 and will engage the roller 66 to lift the bar 44 against the compression spring 44'. This will cause the cutting blade 39 to swing downwardly in the direction of the arrow f indicated in Fig. 3. This will swing the blade downwardly between the sets of gripping jaws 24 upon the opposite sides of the slit 26 which is in register with the blade and will entirely sever the mass of packed material held by the adjoining sets of jaws. Simultaneous with this operation the pitman rod 58 will be drawn downwardly. This will force the knockout disc 53 into the opening formed by a pair of jaws 24 disposed at the position X in Fig. 4 of the drawings. This is accomplished as the arm 5% and the knockout structure move to the dotted line position in that figure. It is to be understood that as a pair of jaws 24 swing from their vertical to their substantially horizontal position the rollers 28 associated therewith will engage the offset portion 99 of the arcuate earns 98 so that the gripping jaws 24 will spread apart slightly and permit the packed material to be more easily discharged therefrom.

Preparatory to receiving the material from a pair of substantially horizontal gripping jaws 24 a set of gripping jaws 24' on the rotary feeder 61 I will have engaged a can 55 as it has moved downwardly along the runway 14 and to a position between these jaws. As the rotary feeder 6'! moves upwardly so that the rollers 28 will move out of engagement with the arcuate cam member '12 the springs 13 will swing the gripping jaws together to engage the can and will thereafter carry it a half-turn to support it in a substantially horizontal position beneath the set of gripping jaws carrying the packed material indicated at X. It will also be seen that while the can was initially engaged in an upside-down position that it will be reversed to present the mouth portion 9! uppermost to receive the material ejected from the pair of gripping jaws 24 thereabove.

Attention is directed to the fact that prior to the movement of sets of gripping jaws to the slicing knife 39 they will be forcefully moved together by the star wheels 35 which are carried upon the shafts 36. These shafts are fitted at their lower ends with gears H18 in mesh with complementary spiral gears lill mounted upon a shaft N32. The shaft I02 is fitted within suitable bearings within the main frame and carries a sprocket I03 at its outer end. A sprocket chain it is led around the sprocket I03 and also around the sprocket Hi5 on an extension of shaft M which acts as the main drive shaft.

After the packed material has been ejected from the pair of gripping jaws at station X in Fig. 4 and into the can 55 the filled can will swing downwardly, and as the rollers 28 engage the. arcuate earns 12 the jaws will spring outwardly so that the can may drop onto the inclined runway 94 and slide onto the conveyor 95.

It will thus be seen that the structure here disclosed provides a packing runway of adequate length formed by the series of gripping jaws 24 and between which jaws material to be packed, such as fish, may be conveniently placed in position, after which the jaws act automatically to compress the material, thereafter slice it into sections suitable to fit within a can and then to deliver the material into the cans as they are automatically fed.

While I have shown the preferred form of my invention as now known to me, it will be understood that various changes may be made in combination, construction and arrangement of parts by those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit of my invention as claimed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A device of the character described comprising an endless traveling conveyor having a lineal path of travel, complementary packing jaws carried thereupon and arranged in pairs end to end, the jaws of each pair being mounted on said conveyor to swing toward each other to form an enclosure and to embrace material to be packed, means for driving said conveyor, means for swinging the free ends of the jaws apart at the beginning of said lineal path, means for progressively swinging the free ends of said complementary packing jaws toward each other as they progress along the lineal path of travel of the conveyor, said pairs of packing jaws being spaced a distance apart, whereby the material held by the jaws may be sliced in said spaces, and means for ejecting the material from each pair of packing jaws after it has been sliced.

2. A device of the character described comprising an endless chain traveling conveyor, a plurality of sets of complementary packing jaws pivotally carried thereupon and arranged in pairs end to end, the free ends of the jaws of each pair being capable of swinging away from each other to form a trough-like structure along a lineal path of travel and toward each other to form an enclosure and to embrace material to be packed, means for driving said conveyor, means for swinging the free ends of the jaws apart, means for progressively moving said complementary packing jaws toward each other along the lineal path of travel of the conveyor, said pairs of packing jaws being spaced a distance apart, whereby the material held by the jaws may be sliced in said spaces, means for ejecting the material from each consecutive pair of packing jaws after it has been sliced, and means acting to deliver a can to the machine to receive the material ejected from a pair of jaws.

3. A conveyor and packer for a machine of the class described comprising a pair of sprockets, a sprocket chain led around said sprockets and providing an upper lineal length of travel of the chain, pairs of complementary packing jaws pivotally mounted upon said sprocket chain with their end faces contiguous to each other along said upper lineal length of travel, the jaws of each pair adapted to swing laterally toward and away from each other with their free ends presented upwardly, means for swinging said jaws apart at the forward end of said linear path of travel, whereby they will collectively form an open trough, and means disposed along the path of travel of the chain and said jaws whereby the jaws of each pair will be swung progressively from a position of separation with relation to each other to a closed position to embrace material disposed between the jaws.

4. A conveyor and packer for a machine of the class described comprising a pair of sprockets, a sprocket chain led around said sprockets and providing an upper lineal length of travel of the chain, pairs of complementary packing jaws pivotally mounted upon said sprocket chain with their end faces contiguous to each other along said upper lineal length of travel, the jaws of each pair adapted to swing laterally toward and away from each other with their free ends presented upwardly, means for swinging said jaws apart at the forward end of said lineal path of travel, whereby they will collectively form an open trough, means disposed along the path of travel of the chain and said jaws whereby the jaws of each pair will be swung progressively from a position of separation with relation to each other to a closed position to embrace material disposed between the jaws, and means for driving the chain intermittently for a length of travel corresponding to the space between one pair of jaws to the space between another pair of jaws.

5. A conveyor and packer for a machine of the class described comprising a pair of sprockets, a sprocket chain led around said sprockets and providing an upper lineal length of travel of the chain, pairs of complementary packing jaws pivotally mounted upon said sprocket chain with their end faces contiguous to each other along said upper lineal length of travel, the jaws of each pair adapted to swing laterally toward and away from each other with their free ends presented upwardly, means for swingin said jaws apart at the forward end of said lineal path of travel, whereby they will collectively form an open trough, means disposed along the path of travel of the chain and said jaws whereby the jaws of each i pair will be swung progressively from a position of separation with relation to each other to a closed position to embrace material disposed be the jaws, means for driving the chain intermittently for a length of travel corresponding to the space between one pair of jaws to he space between another pair of jaws, and auxiliar closing means acting upon the jaws adjacent to the end of their travel and yieldably urging the jaws to a finally closed position.

6. A device of the character described, comprising an endless traveling conveyor formed by a plurality of sets of complementary packing jaws carried upon a chain and arranged in pairs end to nd and contiguous to each other along the upper run of the conveyor, the jaws of each pair being capable of swinging toward and from each other to form an open upwardly presented trough along a portion of said upper run to receive material to be packed, means for driving said conveyor, means for swinging said jaws apart, and means for progressively moving said complementary jaws toward each other to embrace the material therebetween as they reach the end of the upper run of the conveyor travel.

7. The structure of claim 6 in which the contiguous faces of the pairs of jaws are spaced apart along the upper run of the conveyor a distance to permit a slicing blade to enter between them and slice the material collectively carried by contiguous pair of jaws.

8. The structure of claim 6 in which the contiguous faces of the pairs of jaws are spaced apart along the upper run of the conveyor a distance to permit a slicing blade to enter between them and slice the material collectively carried by contiguous pairs of jaws, and a slicin blade ad p d to move into and across said space to sever the material held by contiguous pair of jaws.

9. The structure of claim 6 in which the contiguous faces of the pairs of jaws are spaced apart along the upper run of the conveyor a distance to permit a slicing blade to enter between them and slice the material collectively carried by contiguous pairs of jaws, a slicing blade adapted to move into and across said space to sever the material held by contiguous pairs of l and intermittently operating driving means for the slicing blad acting in synchronism with the conveyor driving means, whereby the conveyor will stand stationary while the slicing operation takes place.

10. A conveyor and packer comprising an endless conveyor chain, a plurality of pairs of complementary arcuate packing jaws mounted upon said chain to swing in planes normal to the path of travel of the chain and having fiat end faces spaced contiguous to each other while the laws travel along the upper run of the chain, sprockets at the opposite ends of said upper run and around which said chain and jaws pass, intermittent driving means for said sprocket chain, whereby the chain will advance the width of a jaw at each actuation, and whereby the pair of jaws passing from the end 0f the upper run and around a sprocket will be held substantially horizontal during the interval of rest of said chain, means acting to swing the jaws to their open position along an initial length of their travel on their upper run, whereby an upwardly presented open trough will be formed by a plurality of pairs of jaws to receive material to be packed, means whereby said jaws may be swung to their closed position around the material to be packed as they reach the end of their upper run, slicing means adapted to enter between closed pairs of jaws as they reachthe end of their upper run to sever the material held by contiguous pairs of jaws, and synchronous driving means for the conveyor chain and said slicing means.

ROBERT O. GRUWELL, JR. 

